Join us to hear selected poets recite their work!
Each year, hundreds of poems are received from students in Grades 1-12 in public, private, and home schools in and around the Adirondack Park. Poems selected for their special merit are published in the annual booklet, Words from the Woods.
Since this year’s poems come from communities all over the Greater Adirondacks—from Alexandria Bay to Albany—this year’s showcase will welcome both in-person poets and pre-recorded video readings of poets reading their work.
The Great Adirondack Young People’s Poetry program was initiated in 1998 by the Lake Placid Institute for the Arts & Humanities. It originated from the recognition that poetry is not only a fundamental literary art but also an accessible form of writing for students of all ages. Arts Center Lake Placid is thrilled to assist LPI with the administration of this legacy program.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Sunday, March 1, 2026
2026 SELECTED POEMS
Listed by grade.
SECOND GRADE
The Horse by Logan Trummer (St. Therese’s Academy)
Beech Trees by Amelia Ciccarelli (Bolton)
Walking Sticks by Sophia Johnson (Bolton)
I Love You by Hazel Pierowski (Lake Placid)
THIRD GRADE
Pink by Wren Hameline (Peru)
Blue by Natalee LaTour (Peru)
AN ICE CASTLE IS by Julius Barreto (Keene)
A Woodland Scene by Robert Goodwin (St. Therese’s Academy)
FOURTH GRADE
Snow by Hazel Blackway (Keene)
Snowy Walk by Mars Ruby (Keene)
The Bump on the Road by Giuseppe Lapka (St. Therese’s Academy)
The Beautiful Fall by Lilliana Soto (Keene)
FIFTH GRADE
War and Peace by Ellie Thivierge (Colton-Pierrepont)
Colors of Life by Maddie Boushie (L.P. Quinn)
In the Adirondacks by Alexis Mitchell (J.M. McKenney)
Hate vs Love by Rosemary Cantwell (Colton-Pierrepont)
SIXTH GRADE
The Tiger by Andrew Burns (St. Therese’s Academy)
The Winter’s Ride by Tyler Trummer (St. Therese’s Academy)
Where I’m From by Orion Ashe (Keene)
Music by Jaxine Barreto (Keene)
SEVENTH GRADE
The Soldier by Gabriel Ermold (St. Therese’s Academy)
Silent Glances by Ryleigh Bassarab (Keene)
Conversation by Jacob Burns (St. Therese’s Academy)
EIGHTH GRADE
My Grandmother’s Hands by John Lapka (St. Therese’s Academy)
To Be Weird is to Be Free by Olivia Wamback (Long Lake)
Your Best by Michael Heaton (Adirondack)
NINTH GRADE
The Shoes of a Father by Kenzie Gardinier (Galway)
Ignored by Lucy Ayres (Keene)
The Lost and Forgotten by Colton Forester-McQueer (Alexandria)
Special Interest by Caroline Carr (Alexandria)
TENTH GRADE
Where Peace Learns to Ache by Kaleb McCray (Green Tech)
Swimming by Phoebe Karkoski (Moriah)
Sticky Notes by Orra Sprague (Keene)
Soccer by Rylee Robinson (Moriah)
ELEVENTH GRADE
A Solitary Prison by Noah LaSalle (Beekmantown)
The Imprisonment of Entitlement by McKenna McGrath (Beekmantown)
My Words to You by Kalley Denton (Beekmantown)
The Dad Who Stayed by Kenzi Weston (Moriah)
TWELFTH GRADE
Dread for the Jews by Matthew Ryan (Beekmantown)
Unstuck by Tristan Ziarnowski (South Glens Falls Central School)
Graduation by Stevie-Rey Winner (Beekmantown)
Fake Masks by Joey Sanders (Alexandria)
Today, I Lay You Down to Rest by Annabelle Case (Gloversville)